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Chapter 107: Half Lies, Half Truths.

Upon returning to the lodging, I carefully wrapped the flower in cloth and placed it in a box.

In theory, it would be fine to consume something under these circumstances, but with my realm rising, it was far too risky to munch on some unknown herb right away.

[So, when would be a good time to try it?]

“Probably after aligning my realm and body,” I mused.

With the help of Shin Noya, I had reached enlightenment, but there were limits to what my body could handle.

Physically speaking, the outstanding Yeongpung of Hwasan Sect was much more accomplished than I.

‘Hwasan Sect might look like monsters, but they’re not wrong.’

Fortunately, the flower’s energy hadn’t diminished despite the passage of time.

I’d check occasionally, but for now, it was okay. I’d definitely be able to eat it within seven days.

‘First, I need to go see Maehwa Seon.’

There was no need to delay any further; that much was certain. I stepped outside to relay my words.

As soon as I exited, I locked eyes with the Sword Sovereign, who was sweeping the floor with a broom.

He hadn’t been there when I came in, so when did he move to the yard?

The Sword Sovereign reacted upon making eye contact with me.

‘Did he notice something?’

His clear gaze most likely sensed that I had advanced in my realm.

His eyes were sharper, and the energy I felt emanating from him had expanded, but there was still no sign of any inner chakra.

‘I wonder how great the gap is.’

In my previous life, I hadn’t had much interaction with the Sword Sovereign. Therefore, I couldn’t accurately gauge his level of mastery as a martial artist.

Based on what I borrowed from the Heavenly Demon, he was the strongest among the Three Eminent Beings.

While I was currently at the peak of my realm and unable to fully stabilize my energy, it was somewhat shocking that I couldn’t sense even a trace of his inner energy.

[Is he the number one sword fighter in the world right now?]

Maybe it was because he saw my memories, but Shin Noya finally realized who the Sword Sovereign was.

‘Yes.’

I had no real reason to deny it.

[What a pity…]

‘What do you mean?’

[Without a physical body, I can’t accurately sense his energy.]

I recalled hearing that one couldn’t properly sense energy in a spiritual state.

Hearing that made me, being a martial artist, inadvertently wonder who was stronger between Shin Noya and the Sword Sovereign.

[You stupid fool… your level of thinking is downright childish.]

‘…I was just curious.’

If it’s about Maehwa Seon, then it wouldn’t be unreasonable to say they were the best sword masters of their time.

Since I didn’t know much about that era, I could not be sure, though.

The Sword Sovereign bowed his head to me, which was always an awkward situation, so I accepted it and quickly backed away.

It was just past noon, but it felt unusually quiet.

It probably had to do with Wi Seol-Ah and Nangong Bi-ah not being around.

The absence of those two made me feel like I had significantly changed.

Whether that was a good thing was still up in the air.

‘Where could they have gone?’

Wi Seol-Ah was easy to spot; she would dash off as soon as she got to the lodging. I figured Nangong Bi-ah was probably sleeping in her room.

But neither of them was in sight.

Just then, I spotted Hong Wa passing by with work in hand, so I grabbed her to ask.

“Ah… Seol-Ah and Young Miss Nangong went out saying they were going to the Jehwa Contest.”

“The Jehwa Contest?”

“Yes, the Young Miss came by saying they would do it again today and invited her along…”

So, it seems Gu Ryeonghwa had come by.

‘So they are proceeding with the Jehwa Contest after all.’

I wondered what their actual reasoning might be. I hoped it was the first reason I was considering, but I had an unsettling feeling instead.

‘How many are lurking within the Martial Alliance?’

It wasn’t just Black Night Palace but sending spies within Martial Alliance was a frequent occurrence.

However, the fact that Nachal had visited at night, and things were dealt with so rapidly, indicated this was all too fast-paced.

The more I thought about it, the more I began to feel that Black Night Palace hadn’t collapsed under the Martial Alliance’s attack but instead had merely pretended to be in ruins.

[Are you interested?]

“Yes, it seems to be connected in some way.”

I had my suspicions about whether it had any direct ties to the Heavenly Demon, but the key thing was that there were events in my previous life’s records that were entirely different from what was happening now.

For instance, they had attempted to kidnap Shin Yi, among other things.

[Then what do you plan on doing?]

“You already know, don’t you?”

Since I made up my mind to suppress the Heavenly Demon, if Black Night Palace was involved, then that was the same as well.

If Black Night Palace was linked to the Heavenly Demon’s appearance…

“I need to cut off that connection.”

This would likely be my first step.

Since the Jehwa Contest was happening, I thought that I wouldn’t be able to see Maehwa Seon for a while, so I went to meet with the Sword Demoness first.

“Welcome.”

“I’m sorry for barging in suddenly.”

Fortunately, the Sword Demoness was in her hut.

‘She appears much younger than before.’

Her lush black hair shone, and her skin had no wrinkles at all.

Despite being over thirty, she looked untouched by time. The Sword Demoness quietly observed me, seemingly surprised.

“…It seems something has happened.”

“I had a small awakening.”

“Even so… for you to reach such a level at your age, it seems the heavens have truly blessed the Gu Clan this time.”

“That’s too much praise…”

[…If it’s too much praise, then the world should know about this scoundrel!]

In her peak state, the Sword Demoness could naturally perceive the energy contained within her body.

She seemed to have attained a level higher than mine, so while I couldn’t tell how she related to the Sword Sovereign, I definitely sensed that the power hidden in her was extraordinary.

‘So that’s why she’s called the Sword Demoness.’

Those who inherited their original titles were achieving exceptionally high standards.

Names like Sword Demoness or Sword King were no joke.

The Sword Demoness smiled slightly, as if she had sensed my gaze.

“Not what you expected, huh?”

At that moment, I realized my behavior had crossed the line of etiquette, so I quickly apologized.

“I’m sorry… my control isn’t quite there yet.”

“It’s fine. I’m just glad you realized that my body hasn’t fully recovered yet.”

She finished speaking and offered me some tea. It had the same aroma as the plum tea Maehwa Seon made for me.

“The Sect Leader often brings this as a gift.”

“Oh, I see…”

That’s why it smelled familiar; as I took a sip of the tea, the Sword Demoness suddenly spoke up.

“I wanted to express my gratitude once more, and it’s fortunate you stopped by.”

“Why…?”

“Last night, when Gu Ryeonghwa visited, she was quite different.”

It seemed she had also noticed the change in Gu Ryeonghwa from the Jehwa Contest.

However, I didn’t particularly enjoy hearing it was because of me.

“If that’s the case, I did nothing…”

Rather, it might have been me who blocked the potential this had for Gu Ryeonghwa.

It was almost certainty, yet it felt that Gu Ryeonghwa’s bright smile was entirely her own accomplishment.

The Sword Demoness looked like she didn’t believe my words, merely smiling in response.

“Oh, Gu Ryeonghwa said she was going to see her brother, but it seems she missed you.”

“Me?”

I had heard she went to look for Wi Seol-Ah and Nangong Bi-ah to check out the Jehwa Contest.

Did that mean she was looking for me? I hadn’t considered that.

‘I should go find her later.’

I had no idea what her business was, but if we missed each other, it would simply be a matter of visiting again.

The Sword Demoness took a sip of her plum tea before continuing.

“So when do you plan to depart?”

“Probably once everything is settled. I think we’ll leave by tomorrow at the latest.”

“…Wow, that’s sooner than I thought.”

“I felt like I had stayed too long, so I want to prepare to leave as fast as possible.”

“Have you informed Shin Yi?”

“Ah… I’ll deliver it later.”

That was right; I had completely forgotten.

As I felt embarrassed, the Sword Demoness chuckled softly at my expression. I awkwardly cleared my throat.

“…I apologize. Did I seem quite clueless?”

“No, not at all. You act just like your mother, so I couldn’t help but laugh. I’m sorry.”

There were moments when the Sword Demoness mentioned my mother, during which her expression would always brighten.

Had they been close? But I had never heard anything about the Sword Demoness from my mother.

‘Perhaps I was too young to remember.’

Suddenly, I was hit by curiosity about how my mother and the Sword Demoness had met and become friends.

‘But…’

Given that this involved my mother, I couldn’t bring myself to ask.

Still, there was much left to say. After taking a moment to compose myself, I finally spoke about the true purpose of my visit.

“Do you remember me mentioning that I would have a favor to ask later?”

“Right, I haven’t forgotten. Did you finally come to ask?”

“Yes, it’s not a particularly big favor.”

Before leaving, I intended to find Maehwa Seon. At that time, I wanted to ask the Sword Demoness to go along with me.

What I wanted from her in that situation was simple.

“Just lend me your support for a moment.”

That would be enough.

After concluding my conversation with the Sword Demoness, I slowly made my way down to see Gu Ryeonghwa.

Feeling the slight chill in the air, I realized summer was nearly over.

“Time seems to be moving too fast.”

While I experienced many changes, I still felt it was moving slowly.

It hadn’t even been a year since I reached the peak, so wasn’t it fast?

Yet, thinking about the tribulations that lay ahead, I couldn’t help but feel a bit foolishly proud.

Maximally, I supposed I would only be getting better at my current level. That’s about it.

[You seem a bit anxious.]

“This kind of anxiety is necessary, I believe.”

[…It’s a statement that can’t be dismissed outright.]

“I need to make sure it doesn’t become toxic.”

Though, it wouldn’t be easy.

By the time I had almost reached the bottom of the mountain, a familiar face caught my eye.

“…Huh?”

“…Zhang?”

Maybe because I made a sound, our gazes locked. The boy hiding his face behind long bangs was Jiegal Hyeok, the grandson of Shin Yi.

‘What is he doing?’

Jiegal Hyeok was wandering around with a basket that seemed half his size.

The vague shapes of mushrooms peeked out from inside the basket.

I almost passed by him when I decided to approach and ask.

“What are you doing here?”

Jiegal Hyeok looked towards me after discovering another mushroom and made a gesture as if he was about to eat it.

“Are those edible mushrooms…?”

The colors of all of them were so bright that they didn’t seem entirely safe…

Jiegal Hyeok’s hand hesitated in response to my question, before he bent down to grab a twig and started scrawling on the ground.

– They’re fine. They’re perfectly okay.

Seeing what he wrote, I felt a strange emotion. I had never had a direct conversation with Jiegal Hyeok before.

“…How are you so certain?”

– It was written in grandpa’s book.

“Shin Yi’s book?”

Jiegal Hyeok nodded. Did he have such a book with him?

“What do you plan to do with them?”

– I’ll fry them. And also make some broth.

It seemed he was planning to make side dishes as I thought earlier.

From the moment I saw him, Jiegal Hyeok had shown no expressions, nor much care in his actions, but now he looked genuinely excited. Perhaps that was why I asked without thinking.

“Do you enjoy cooking?”

His eyes widened slightly at my question. Then he nodded vigorously.

– How did you know?

I fell silent at his question.

Despite it being uncomfortable for us to face each other, I was reminded of how far removed from our previous lives we were.

“Just a hunch.”

That thought had simply crossed my mind.

– I wanted to open a small restaurant. A cozy little place, since cooking is fun to me.

A meaningless story shared right before we were about to die, with blood spilling everywhere and unable to articulate properly—yet he chose that moment to reveal something about himself.

Looking back now, it seemed entirely pointless. The reality was he had always wrapped himself in lies.

The only time he spoke the truth was when he received orders from the Heavenly Demon as he commanded demons.

Having pretended to be someone who’d die in despair, it was hard to believe any of his past words.

– I was an orphan when I was young. I had no family.

A lie. He had Shin Yi as family.

– But my body was relatively healthy. I had many friends.

Another lie.

– Do you know? If it weren’t for this situation, you and I might have become good friends.

Each word he said was a lie. I never believed this part even back then.

– Great Lord, do you resent me?

I answered affirmatively—yes, I wanted to tear him apart.

He chuckled, blood trickling from his mouth with each laugh.

– But if this is how it ends, it’s not so bad.

His clear voice was the last I heard. What of what he said was the truth?

I at least thought he would be genuine about his past.

In retrospect, his words were perhaps predominantly false.

“…”

I looked at Jiegal Hyeok. How did this kid end up becoming a demon? If he had been kidnapped alongside Shin Yi, would that have been the beginning?

If that were the case, with all the events changed, would Jiegal Hyeok still become a demon?

In that brief moment, countless thoughts flickered through my mind.

As I grew slightly dizzy from all those complicated thoughts, Jiegal Hyeok suddenly handed me an unknown Asian pear.

“…What is this?”

Caught off guard, I accepted it, and when I opened it, it was full of mushrooms.

What was this?! I shot Jiegal Hyeok a baffled glance as he bent down again, scribbling something on the ground.

| | …

…

…

.

– I picked a lot, so I’ll share some with you. They’re delicious.

He grinned widely as he said that. For a moment, I wondered if that smile hid some falsehood, but it was just a fleeting thought.

I carefully tucked the mushrooms into my own clothes.

“…Thanks.”

At least for now, I felt it wasn’t a lie.

Jiegal Hyeok seemed to be searching for more and then wandered off, so I stood up.

Upon returning to the lodging, it appeared the children who had gone for a stroll hadn’t returned yet.

Since I had heard Gu Ryeonghwa was looking for me, I decided I should go find her.

Before that, I handed the mushrooms to Hong Wa.

“…Young Master, what is this…?”

She looked genuinely puzzled, so I awkwardly muttered a response.

“I just received them as a gift, and asked you to make something out of them if there isn’t anything strange about them.”

“Ah… understood. I will, Young Master.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you by any chance going to fetch Seol-Ah?”

“No, not specifically for that purpose.”

I was headed to find Gu Ryeonghwa, so it was somewhat along those lines, but I didn’t elaborate further.

At that, Hong Wa let out a deep sigh.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Seol-Ah went out without working. I think she probably left without knowing. If she comes back, I’ll have to scold her a bit.”

It seemed she was holding back her anger since she couldn’t show it strongly in front of me, but it was evident she was feeling it.

[She’s trembling.]

‘Indeed.’

I noticed her fist tremble slightly, indicating she was quite upset.

‘Hang in there.’

For some reason, I imagined Wi Seol-Ah being scolded by Hong Wa, and quietly offered her my support.

At the Martial Alliance’s headquarters, the residence of the Clan Leader.

Current Martial Alliance Leader, Jang Cheon, was carefully reading the letter sent by the Sword Sovereign.

He had already read it several times, but he continued to check just in case he missed anything.

‘…A granddaughter.’

The letter contained various points, but the one that stood out most was the mention of the Sword Sovereign’s granddaughter.

“How strange…”

The Sword Sovereign had no family. He had a daughter who died in an accident, and Jang Cheon was aware of that fact.

He himself was the one who had delivered her corpse to the Sword Sovereign.

Then, what was this granddaughter?

What had transpired in the ten or so years the Sword Sovereign had been missing?

He had heard news that they were searching for the Sword Sovereign among the Wudang and Shaolin. He had asked them to inform him of his whereabouts, but since he had no information, there was nothing to relay to them.

‘What to do about this?’

It seemed he was ensnared in quite a complicated affair. Accepting the Sword Sovereign’s request might force him to take a stand against Gu Paibang.

But refusing it wouldn’t do, as Jang Cheon owed too much to the Sword Sovereign.

As he pondered continuously, a tapping sound interrupted his thoughts.

– Knock, knock.

Someone’s presence could be felt. Jang Cheon cautiously folded the letter and put it away.

– Father, it’s Seonyeon.

“Come in.”

As soon as he granted permission, the door opened, and a boy with a kind demeanor entered.

“What brings you here?”

“I returned home briefly and came to greet you.”

“You must be quite busy with training. No need to bother…”

“No, I could never act that way.”

Jang Cheon’s gaze fell on his son as he smiled.

His son had grown up to be exceptionally polite. He felt immense pride in him.

Moreover, he had heard that his son was acquiring considerable enlightenment, rapidly advancing his mastery. Jang Cheon began to ponder whether his son might take the vacant position of the Dragon of the Phoenix.

“Haha, you saying that genuinely makes me feel great.”

Jang Cheon’s hearty laugh resonated.

Upon seeing that, his son, Jang Seonyeon, also smiled gently.

 

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